Highlights

The market for fake things

TV magazine Euromaxx; show runs November 25 to December 1

Some copies of paintings by Van Gogh or Klimt look so convincing you'd never guess they were fake. The copies are so accurate that even experts have trouble distinguishing them from the genuine article. This can only be a good thing for buyers on a budget. After all, good copies are highly sought after by art fans. And there is plenty of copying going on in the art world these days. But it doesn't stop there. In the world of violin making, the Stradivarius is regarded as the measure of all things, and quite a few people attempt to build their instruments in such a way as to recreate the sound of this priceless design. Meanwhile, car freaks who've been tinkering with engines for years recreate vintage models to set pulses racing.

The six-part series Genuinely Fake takes a closer look at things that may look genuine but are far from it. The magazine visits, among others, the Museum of Art Fakes in Vienna and meets instrument maker Stefan-Peter Greiner whose violins are regarded as the modern equivalent of a Stradivarius. Then there is also a company that makes fake flowers in the German town of Sebnitz. It all goes to show that the question "Real or fake?" is not always easy to answer.

Christoph Jumpelt

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